Duo-Medihaler News

FRIDAY, Dec. 2, 2016 – Research investigating schoolchildren's asthma attacks has pointed to a tiny foe: mice. Allergens from the rodents can infiltrate the air, the study found, and may be a major cause of asthma attacks in the school environment. It's known that many different allergy triggers – from dust mites to mold to pet dander – can fuel children's asthma symptoms. But most research has focused on the triggers in kids' homes. "In this study, we've identified the school as an important factor, too," said researcher Dr. Wanda Phipatanakul, an allergy specialist at Boston Children's Hospital. That said, she stressed, the findings do not actually prove that schools' rodent problems were the cause of kids' symptoms. The next step, Phipatanakul said, is a study where schools will get air purifiers and "integrated pest management," to see if that improves students' respiratory ... Read more

FRIDAY, Dec. 11, 2015 – People with asthma may be more than twice as likely to develop chronic migraines as those without breathing troubles, a new study suggests. The research included about 4,500 Americans. At the start of the study in 2008, the study volunteers had fewer than 15 migraines a month. One year later, the researchers looked to see how many had chronic migraine – 15 or more migraines a month. More than 5 percent of people with asthma developed chronic migraine. Just 2.5 percent of those without asthma ended up with chronic migraines, the study found. "If you have asthma along with episodic or occasional migraine, then your headaches are more likely to evolve into a more disabling form known as chronic migraine," said lead author Dr. Vincent Martin. Martin is a professor of medicine and co-director of the Headache and Facial Pain Program at the University of Cincinnati. ... Read more

-- By keeping your asthma under control and creating a plan for when attacks strike, asthma doesn't have to ruin your health. The U.S. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute suggests: With help from your doctor, create an asthma action plan. It should include steps for taking medication, and what to do if symptoms worsen. Learn about, and avoid, asthma triggers. Get regular medical checkups. Take medication as prescribed. Practice using inhaled medication in front of your doctor, if needed. Record asthma symptoms and peak flow readings in a journal to share with your doctor. Read more

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 30, 2015 – The presence of four types of gut bacteria in infancy may reduce a child's risk for asthma, Canadian researchers report. Most infants get these bacteria naturally from the environment. But some babies are given antibiotics that kill these bacteria, and some are not exposed to them for various reasons, the researchers said. "We now have particular markers that seem to predict asthma later in life," lead researcher Brett Finlay, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, said during a news conference Tuesday. "These findings indicate that bacteria that live in and on us may have a role in asthma," he said. This seems to happen by 3 months of age in ways that still aren't clear. Coming into contact with environmental bacteria, such as by living on a farm or having pets, appears to decrease asthma risk, Finlay ... Read more

THURSDAY, Sept. 24, 2015 – Exposure to secondhand smoke puts children with asthma at nearly double the risk of winding up in the hospital, a new analysis reveals. For these kids, secondhand smoke can worsen symptoms and make their condition more difficult to control. So parents need to be aware of these additional risks, the researchers warned. "Previous studies have linked secondhand smoke exposure with increased asthma prevalence, poorer asthma control and increased symptoms," lead study author Zhen Wang, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said in an American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology news release. "We wanted to quantify the strength of the association, and to show just how much greater the risk is of hospitalization for kids with asthma who are exposed to secondhand smoke in the home," Wang added. One expert said the findings make sense. "Having treated ... Read more

FRIDAY, June 12, 2015 – Asthma treatments, especially inhaled corticosteroids, are less likely to work for older patients, a new study suggests. Researchers looked at 1,200 patients with mild-to-moderate asthma, and found that treatment failure occurred in about 17 percent of those aged 30 and older, compared with about 10 percent of those younger than 30. Lower lung function and having asthma for a longer time were associated with a higher risk of treatment failure. When the researchers focused on specific therapies, they found that treatment failure increased consistently for every year above age 30 among patients who used inhaled corticosteroids. Patients aged 30 and older who used inhaled corticosteroids, either alone or in combination with other therapies, were more than twice as likely to have treatment failure than those younger than 30, the investigators found. Men and women ... Read more

TUESDAY, May 5, 2015 – It can be difficult for parents to tell whether their child has a cold or hay fever, but there are ways to distinguish between the two, experts say. "Runny, stuffy or itchy noses, sneezing, coughing, fatigue, and headaches can all be symptoms of both allergies and colds, but when parents pay close attention to minor details they will be able to tell the difference," Dr. Michelle Lierl, a pediatric allergist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said in a hospital news release. "Children who have springtime or fall allergies have much more itching of their noses; they often have fits of sneezing and usually rub their noses in an upward motion," Lierl explained. "They also complain about an itchy, scratchy throat or itchy eyes, whereas with a cold, they don't." Nasal discharge is usually clear if someone has allergies and yellowish if someone has a ... Read more

FRIDAY, March 27, 2015 – Medications for children – even those you can buy over-the-counter – can be dangerous if a child is given too much, one expert says. That's why pharmacist Sheila Goertemoeller, of the Cincinnati Drug and Poison Information Center, wants parents and other caregivers to know how to safely administer these drugs. Before giving medication to children, parents should carefully read the instructions first and use the appropriate measuring device to prevent accidental overdoses, cautioned Goertemoeller. These precautions are especially important if you're giving medicine to a sick child in the middle of the night, Goertemoeller noted. Dosing errors are made by 41 percent of parents, according to research from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Just taking a few minutes to turn on a light and read the directions will help ensure children get the right amount, ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, March 19, 2014 – Over-the-counter sinus and pain remedies that combine two common ingredients – phenylephrine and acetaminophen – might cause serious side effects such as high blood pressure, dizziness and tremors, New Zealand researchers warn. These side effects occur because acetaminophen (the main ingredient in Tylenol) boosts the effects of phenylephrine, according to a report in the March 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Products containing this drug combination include Tylenol Sinus, Sudafed PE Sinus, Benadryl Allergy Plus Sinus and Excedrin Sinus Headache. "What we found was surprising because it hasn't been studied or reported," said lead researcher Hartley Atkinson, managing director of AFT Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., in Auckland. Phenylephrine, which replaced pseudoephedrine in many over-the-counter medications, relieves nasal congestion from colds, ... Read more

MONDAY, Nov. 11 – Restrictions placed on cough and cold medicines may be working, with fewer young children ending up in the ER because of bad side effects tied to the drugs, new research shows. The drop in kids' illnesses came about after drug manufacturers voluntarily withdrew cough and cold medications for this age group from the market in 2007, and after drug labeling changes put in place in 2008. The labeling changes advised that the products were not for use in children under 4. "The change [in ER admissions] was associated with those two events," said study author Dr. Lee Hamilton, a medical officer in the division of healthcare quality promotion at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We saw that in children under 2 years old, adverse events from cough and cold medicines dropped from one in 25 of all emergency department visits for adverse drug events to about ... Read more

TUESDAY, April 23 – More than 40 percent of American parents give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to kids under age 4 even though they're too young for such products, a new survey finds. In young children, these medicines can cause allergic reactions, increased or uneven heart rate, slow and shallow breathing, confusion or hallucinations, drowsiness or sleeplessness, convulsions, nausea and constipation. Since 2008, labels on cough and cold medicines have warned that they should not be given to children under age 4. The use of cough and cold medicines in children in that age group did not differ by parent gender, race/ethnicity or household income, according to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. The survey included 498 parents of children aged 3 and under. Children can get five to 10 colds a year, so parents often turn ... Read more

SUNDAY, March 17 – It's the time of year when cold season and allergy season overlap, and parents need to know the active ingredients in the medicines they give their children for these conditions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. Taking more than one medicine at a time could cause serious health problems if the drugs have the same active ingredient, which is the component that makes the medicine effective against a particular condition. For over-the-counter products, active ingredients are listed first on a medicine's Drug Facts label. For prescription medicines, active ingredients are listed in a patient package insert or consumer information sheet provided by the pharmacist, the FDA said. Many medicines have just one active ingredient. But combination medicines – such as those for allergy, cough or fever and congestion – may have more than one. Antihistamine is an ... Read more

TUESDAY, May 1 – Asthma often is misdiagnosed and undertreated in older people, with only 53 percent of those with asthma using prescribed inhalers, a small new study suggests. The study included 77 people, including people both with and without asthma, who were over age 60. Of those with asthma, 89 percent also had allergies to mold, animals or dust mites. The asthma patients were more likely than those without asthma to have hay fever, arthritis, diabetes, higher levels of pain and poor general health than those without asthma. The study appears in the May issue of the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. "Those with asthma reported more infections, physician visits and impact on health, yet only half are regularly treating the disease," lead author and allergist Dr. Andrew Smith said in a journal news release. "Patients should regularly carry and take prescribed asthma ... Read more

FRIDAY, April 6 – Rapid treatment with asthma medications seems to help reduce hospitalizations among children with asthma, a new study finds. Canadian researchers analyzed data from 406 children and found that those with moderate or severe asthma attacks who received systemic corticosteroids within 75 minutes of arriving at a hospital emergency department were 16 percent less likely to be admitted to the hospital. Corticosteroids reduce inflammation. The findings illustrate the importance of rapidly identifying and treating children with asthma when they arrive at an emergency department, the researchers said. The study was recently published online in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine. "We knew that corticosteroids could help avoid hospital admissions and relapses. However, just how delays between emergency department admission and administration of the treatment impacted ... Read more

FRIDAY, Jan. 20 – A new study found no statistically significant link between asthma medication use during pregnancy and common birth defects. However, the study did find a positive association between some rare birth defects and mothers with asthma, and potentially with their medication use. But, the researchers couldn't tease out whether the problem was a loss of oxygen from less than well-controlled asthma or an effect of medications. "Worsening asthma is a risk to the mom and the fetus. Hypoxia (a lack of oxygen) we know is a problem for a developing fetus. And, the potential risk they found here is very small. Even if it turns out to be a true increase, the risk is so small. This study raises more questions than it answers," said Dr. Natalie Meirowitz, chief of the division of maternal fetal medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y. What's most ... Read more